Meet Jonas Knotts: Teacher & Public Address Announcer

Folks attending recent basketball games at the Highlanders' gym have been pleased to hear the new public address announcer both prior to and during the games.

That person with the "FM voice" is none other than Webster County high school teacher Jonas M. Knotts. He is a political science/history teacher at the high school, and for the first time this Spring semester, he is teaching a video journalism class which includes the school's video streaming services, the only kind of this service in the State.

Above: The video streaming crew at the Webster-Liberty game on
February 9, 2012: (front, l. to r.) Brandi Clevenger, Samantha Stout, 
& Julie Warren; (rear, l. to r.) Teacher Jonas Knotts & Matt Culp.

When Knotts is asked about the video streaming services, such as what the public sees at the school's sporting events, Knotts says "it's all about the students." WCHS students Brandi Clevenger, Matt Culp, Samantha Stout, and Julie Warren can all be seen operating cameras and running the computers that keep the streaming services up and running.

Recently, the Commentator asked Knotts about the video streaming services, and he kindly provided the following response:

We began the streaming video services last year and as far as I know, we are the only high school in West Virginia that maintains its own streaming and video-on-demand channels. We also have a content sharing agreement with West Virginia Media that allows student-shot material to air on their news and websites. Both are ways that we, as a school, are trying to promote the achievements of our students and our role in the community.

This semester, spring 2013, is the first time that the program has been an actual class. Up until now, it has been maintained by myself and student volunteers. We have been fortunate enough to have the support of our administration and county office. They have helped secure grant funding, build a place in the master schedule and support the program in general. We have also been fortunate enough to receive grant funding from the West Virginia Broadcasters Association to the tune of roughly $12,000. The GearUp program and the WV Higher Education Policy Commission have provided grant support of roughly $9,000 and logistic support as well. West Virginia Media through WBOY-TV has supported us with engineering and technical assistance, equipment donations and job shadowing opportunities for students.

The importance of a program such as this goes beyond simply learning digital media. It teaches students how to collaborate in a creatively stressful environment. They learn how to rely on each other and the importance of hard deadlines. Students build critical and abstract thinking skills through production planning, equipment troubleshooting, production execution, etc. They also learn how to adapt plans on the fly when circumstances and situations change. These are all skills that are transferable to any career, workplace, college major, etc.

The streaming channels: HighlanderSportsNet and HighlanderNewsNet are available off the school's main Edline page. They are also available by direct link at:
http://www.livestream.com/highlandersportsnet and http://www.livestream.com/highlandernewsnet

We stream school sporting events, particularly boys and girls basketball games live and available as video-on-demand. Other sports have highlight reels available. We also stream school events through the news channel such as: assemblies, class activities, etc.

The PA work at basketball games was something conceived by our administration as a way to create a better fan experience and turn the crowd into a true 6th man advantage for our teams.

As for myself: I worked in media for 12+ years before moving to education. I worked for West Virginia Radio Corporation from 1998-2004 in college serving as news and on-air talent staff for WVAQ-FM, WKKW-FM, WSSN-FM, WAJR-AM and Metronews. I worked in television news as a director and executive producer at WBOY-TV until 2008. I have a BS in broadcast journalism and BA in political science from West Virginia University. I have an MA in social studies curriculum and M.Ed. in education research from Fairmont State University and am currently working on an educational leadership certificate from Marshall University. This is my first full-time teaching job and I am working on my second year here. I have taught in sub positions in Preston County before moving here. I am originally from Preston County and lived in Monongalia County for about 11 years until moving here.

The schools' original announcement of the streaming video services is below:

WEBSTER COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF STREAMING VIDEO SERVICES

Students, parents, alumni, fans, and friends can now log on to Webster County High School’s brand new streaming video services: HighlanderNewsNet and HighlanderSportsNet. The channels, hosted on the school’s Edline website, provide live streaming video of sports, events, classroom activities, student and club organizations, and much more. The channels also feature a video-on-demand feature for Highlander fans to watch archived broadcasts as well.

“Highlander News and Sports Nets are an excellent opportunity to keep alumni, the community, and parents connected to Webster County High School,” said Principal William Phillips. “Athletics are often the core connection alumni have with their alma mater. The beauty of our video channels is that no matter where in the world our alumni are, they can still maintain a link to their Highlander roots,” said Phillips.

Conceived, created, and maintained by the Electronic Journalism Club, HighlanderNewsNet and HighlanderSportsNet also provide students an opportunity to put classroom theory to work in a real-work setting. “A program like this gives students the opportunity to work under real deadlines and trying problem-solve issues that arise during live productions,” said Jonas Knotts, Electronic Journalism Club advisor. Knotts said the project doesn’t just teach students about broadcasting. “Students also have to work as a team in order for a broadcast to be successful. The teamwork also helps to foster creativity and decision-making skills that can be used in all facets of life,” said Knotts.